Tabulating card



Dec. 7,

1937. c. CONRADI ET AL TABULA'IING CARD Filed May 1, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented ca. 7, 937 2,101,427

mnum'rme cm LeoO. Conradi and Ahnon M. Fairbrother, Binghamton, N. Y., assignors-to IntcrnatlonalBusinesa Machines Corp., New York. N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 1, 1935, Serial No. 19,180 1 Claim. (Ci. 91-14) This invention relates to amethod of and means for enhancing the value and prolonging the life I of record cards adapted to be used in calculatin and similar machines where the cards are fed automatically through the machine andanalyzed.

more resistant to wear than untreated cards, the cards become warped-in drying and cannot be used in machines.

Certain other substances tend to build up the edge of the card thus making it too thick to feed eration is shown in the drawings.

5 In machines which are controlled by perforated properly through the throat of the machine.

record cards, the cards are fed by a card picker Numerous substances soluble in benzol or alcowhich is adapted to advance one card at a time hol or other spirit solvents were tried and found from a stack of cards. The cards pass through unsuitable for several reasons. One of the ream a restricted throat in which the opening is slightly sons is the fire hazard connected with the use of greater thanihe thickness of the card so that such materials. Another objection to the use of only -onecard ata time may passthrough. The such solvents 'is that the base substance with cards are fed in this way to sensing devices which which they are used tends to become brittle when read the data on the card and control the operdry. I

- ation of the machine. It has been found that. certain gum substances 15 y The leading edge of the card which encounters such as artificial resin ester, phenol formaldethe throat eventually becomes worn or otherwise hyde and paracumaron indene produce good redamaged. Also the rear edge which encounters suits. Also, these gums are soluble in carbon the card picker or, pickers becomes damaged. tetrachloride and trichlorethylene. These gums This reduces the life of the cards. The cards when dissolved in these solvents have been found 20 used in these machines are usually made of high to dry with desirable results. They also penegradepaper stock but although the surfaces of trate the fibres of the paper stock without prothe stock are tough and reasonably resistant to ducing swelling of the paper to increase the thickdamage by the pickers and the throat, the interness of the cards and without iniuriously affect- I vening portion between the surfaces is rather soft ing the sizing oi the paper. These substances are 25 and often permits the surfaces to become, sepaalso absorbed into the paper sufilciently rapidly rated. I to facilitate their application. They also serve- One of the objects of the invention is to protheir function without interfering with the color vide means for impregnating the edges of the striping of the cards. In other words, it is comcards to toughen them generally so that they will mon to stripe the upper edges of the cards with 30 I last through a greater number of runs through various colors in order to more readily distinguish the machines. I I cards belonging to various groups. The dyes used Another object is to provide means whereby for striping-are usually spirit solvent dyes. Thus, the impregnating siibstarice may be applied to if the impregnating substances is dissolved in the edges of the cards. alcohol or benzol, the dyes when later applied,

Other objects will be brought out in the foltend to partially dissolve or soften, the impreglowing description'cf the invention. I nating substance. Where the solvent is carbon While it is common to treat paper and cloth tetrachloride or some similar substance the .card in. various ways to render them fire resistant or readily absorbs the dye without any undesirable 40 to produce insulating material or for-water proofresults. I 4o ing, the substances used for these various pur- These-substances have been found not to, inter- I poses have been found to be unsuitable for use fere with the natural moisture content of the pain treating the edges of cards adapted to be used per stock from ,which the cards are made as is in calculating and like machines. 3 common with certaimpther substances, so that Various substances cause the. edge of the card variations of moisture content of the atmosphere to become brittle after it is dry so that the action do not affect the I cards by causing warping 'or of the card pickers and the throat will damage swelling. I

the" edge of the card. I 1 I Numerous methods of applying the substance Other substances cause the cards" to become to the cards have been tried and it has been found gummy .or sticky while still'other substances in that a moistened wickpressed against the raw 5 drying causewarping of the cards which is not edges ofthe paper stock will supply the substance -permissible. to beabsorbed into the edge of the paper while Various substances which are soluble in water the latter is being slit into proper widths "and are notwell suited for the purpose described wound on reels. A device, for performing};the opbecause while the edge of the card may becomev Fig. 5 is a detail of the wick device for apply-- ing the substance to the edges of the paper stock.

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

In the drawings a reel of paper stock I is shown mounted on a frame 2. The paper la is run over guide rollers 3, l and through cooperating cutters I, 8 which slit the paper from the 4 supply roll I into several narrow strips lb which then pass between rollers 1, 8 where the strips are separated, alternate strips running up and being wound upon reels 8 while the intermediate strips run downwardly and are wound on reels l0.

Adjacent to the opposite edges of the strips la after they emerge from the rollers I, 8, are shown wick devices ll comprising wicks I! mounted in tubular members I! reaching outwardly from common supply tubes H which run across the machine andare supplied with the impregnating substance from' reservoirs it.

The device is operated by a driving shaft it having a gear I! meshing with a gear IS on shaft "a which carries the reels 9. Gear II also meshes with a gear I! on shaft 20 which carries the feed roller I and, through gears 2|, connects with shaft 22 carrying roller I. Intermediate gears 23 associated with gear I! serve to drive a gear 24 on shaft 25 which carries the reel 0. I

As the paper is drawn through the slitters the edges of the strips lb are drawn against the edgesofthewicks l2 asshowninl'igabandd and thus absorb the impregnating material.

The cards 20, 21 are eventually out from the I reels 9, ll, into proper lengths and the printing of the index point position numbers is effected in printing presses, after which the punching of the data perforations in the card is elected in' perforating machines. These cards show narrow upper and lower margins 28, II which have been treated with the impregnating substance. Card 2-1 also shows a band ll of color across its upper edge. This color dye overlaps the impregnated edge 28 without dissolving the substance or softening it in any manner.

Guides ii are provided to keep the strips lb in contact with the wicks I! as the diameter of the reels 9, Iii grow.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as. applied to a single modification it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes inthe form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art 1 .arated edges. said last named means comprising separate wick devices associated with the said edges and connected to a common supply, and

.means for winding the slit and impregnated portions of paper on separate reels.

LEO C. CONRADI. ALMON M. FAIRBRO'I'HER. 

